In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, ‘document’ means a document in any form, whether signed or initialled or otherwise authenticated by its maker or not; and includes—

Any person shall, if he is a party to the inquiry or satisfies the Commission that he has an interest in the inquiry apart from any interest in common with the public, be entitled to appear and be heard at the inquiry.

Any person who satisfies the Commission that any evidence given before it may adversely affect his interests shall be given an opportunity during the inquiry to be heard in respect of the matter to which the evidence relates.

Every person entitled, or given an opportunity, to be heard under this section may appear in person or by his counsel or agent.

The Commission may receive as evidence any statement, document, information, or matter that in its opinion may assist it to deal effectively with the subject of the inquiry, whether or not it would be admissible in a Court of law.

The Commission may take evidence on oath, and for that purpose a member or officer of the Commission may administer an oath.

The Commission may permit a person appearing as a witness before it to give evidence by tendering a written statement and, if the Commission thinks fit, verifying it by oath.

For the purposes of the inquiry the Commission or any person authorised by it in writing to do so may—

The Commission may, if it thinks fit, require that any written information or particulars or any copies or extracts furnished under this section shall be verified by statutory declaration or otherwise as the Commission may require.

For the purposes of the inquiry the Commission may of its own motion, or on application, order that any information or particulars, or a copy of the whole or any part of any paper, document, or record, furnished or produced to it be supplied to any person appearing before the Commission, and in the order impose such terms and conditions as it thinks fit in respect of such supply and of the use that is to be made of the information, particulars, or copy.

Every person shall have the same privileges in relation to the giving of information to the Commission, the answering of questions put by the Commission, and the production of papers, documents, records, and things to the Commission as witnesses have in Courts of law.

For the purposes of the inquiry the Commission may of its own motion, or on application, issue in writing a summons requiring any person to attend at the time and place specified in the summons and to give evidence, and to produce any papers, documents, records, or things in that person’s possession or under that person’s control that are relevant to the subject of the inquiry.

For the purposes of this Act, the power to issue summonses or to do any other act preliminary or incidental to the hearing of any matter by the Commission, may be exercised by the Commission or its Chairman, or by an officer of the Commission purporting to act by direction or with the authority of the Commission or its Chairman.

A summons to a witness may be served—

The summons shall—

If the summons is posted by registered letter it shall be deemed for the purposes of subsection (2)(b) of this section to have been served at the time when the letter would be delivered in the ordinary course of post.

Every witness giving evidence, and every counsel or agent or other person appearing before the Commission, shall have the same privileges and immunities as witnesses and counsel in Courts of law.

Every witness attending the inquiry to give evidence pursuant to a summons shall be entitled to be paid witnesses’ fees, allowances, and travelling expenses according to the scales for the time being prescribed by regulations made under the Summary Proceedings Act 1957, and those regulations shall apply accordingly.

On each occasion on which the Commission issues a summons under section 4d of this Act, the Commission, or the person exercising the power of the Commission under subsection (2) of that section, shall fix an amount which, on the service of the summons, or at some other reasonable time before the date on which the witness is required to attend, shall be paid or tendered to the witness.

The amount fixed under subsection (2) of this section shall be the estimated amount of the allowances and travelling expenses to which, in the opinion of the Commission or person, the witness will be entitled according to the prescribed scales if the witness attends at the time and place specified in the summons.

The whole or part of any amount fixed under subsection (2) of this section may, with the consent of the witness, be paid or tendered in the form of vouchers or tickets.

Where the Commission has obtained the authority in writing of the Minister of Internal Affairs for summoning any witness, the amounts of the witness’s fees, allowances, and travelling expenses shall, if certified by the Chairman of the Commission, be paid by the Minister of Finance out of the Consolidated Account.

In every other case the person requiring the evidence of a witness—

Except where subsection (1) of this section applies, the amounts of a witness’s fees, allowances, and expenses shall be paid out of the sum deposited under subsection (2)(b) of this section.

Every person commits an offence who, after being summoned to attend to give evidence before the Commission or to produce to it any papers, documents, records, or things, without sufficient cause—

Every person commits an offence who—

Every person who commits an offence against this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000.

No person summoned to attend the inquiry shall be convicted of an offence against subsection (1) of this section unless at the time of the service of the summons, or at some other reasonable time before the date on which that person was required to attend, there was made to that person a payment or tender of the amount fixed under section 7(2) of this Act.”